


Seeing Red

by Fire_Cat



Category: The Yogscast
Genre: Autumn, Brothers, Childhood, Emotional Instability, Fighting, Gen, Magic, Monsters, Seasonal changes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-09
Updated: 2016-02-20
Packaged: 2018-04-25 14:58:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4965223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fire_Cat/pseuds/Fire_Cat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As far as Martyn is concerned, he's always had to struggle through the changing seasons. It seems like so long ago that he didn't have to worry about it, that it was almost as if it never happened.<br/>But the first shifts were the worst. And when he woke up one Autumn morning with grey skin and red eyes. He knew that it was last Winter all over again..<br/>For a while he hid away. He didn't want to be seen. But he knew that eventually he would have to tell his friends what was going on. He just wished it hadn't happened the way it did..</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Unwanted Silence

**Author's Note:**

> A short story I'm working on. Was originally gonna be a one-shot but it got too long. Shouldn't take too long to finish up though. :)  
> Martyn and Toby are quite young here. With Toby being about eight years old and Martyn being about fourteen.  
> But yeah, enjoy :)

Toby skipped up the path towards the incredible Castle that was his big brothers home. The chilly breeze blowing his long brown hair across his face. Kicking at the orange leaves that had begun to litter the gravel as he went. The ground was scattered with reds and yellows as the season shifted from summer to autumn. The trees were starting to look a bit sorry for themselves. But then that was quite normal for the plant life inside the Kingdom these days..

It had been nearly a fortnight since little Toby had last seen his brother. Which was probably a record at the time. The pair hardly ever went so long without seeing one another. 

Even with the difficulties the older of the twos Winter changes had created the year before, they were still seeing one another fairly regularly. But it wasn't Winter yet. Not quite. Autumn had only just settled in. The first snowfall wouldn't be for a month or two. So why hadn't the Prince so much as dropped by Toby's house, or even written his little brother a letter? It didn't make sense..

 _He's probably just busy._ Toby had told himself at least five times. After all. Martyn Littlewood was a Prince, and heir to the throne of the Sapling Kingdom. He may have avoided his duties whenever he could, but as he got older that was becoming harder and harder. Toby knew this. He wasn't stupid. He understood what it meant to be friends with a Prince. 

But still..  
Total silence on Martyn's part, was completely unheard of.. And that was why Toby had decided to pay him a visit.

The little boy wandered around the huge stone building, looking for the wooden door Martyn had told him to use when he came to visit on his own. It was a bit less excessive than the massive front gates and didn't draw attention from civilians, who were prone to growing curious when those gigantic doors opened up for a visitor.

Being quite small for his age, Toby had to stand up on his tiptoes to reach the door-knocker. Which was most certainly made of solid gold, Martyn's family crest engraved in the centre. He tapped the metal knocker on the wooden door three times. And it only took a few seconds before someone opened it. A tall, thin women in a long, sweeping black dress, with a white apron tied round her waist and her dark hair tied back in a bun stood in the doorway. She looked down at the boy and smiled softly at him. Toby beamed up at her. He recognised her. But couldn't place her name.

"Hello there Master Cottrell. How may I help you today?" She said formally, yet sweetly, instantly recognising the young boy. The Castle staff insisted on retaining formal titles for young Toby, even if Martyn said there was no need. He may not have been a member of the Royal Family. But everyone knew him, and they knew that he was so close to the Prince that they were essentially brothers.

"Hello Miss." Toby grinned cheerfully up at the woman. His voice steady and polite despite the silly grin on his face. "I was wondering if Martyn was home. I mean. I'm assuming that he is. But I haven't seem him in a really long time. So I thought that maybe I would come and see him rather than waiting for him to come and see me." He continued, speaking a little quicker than before, moving his hands around in front of him as he spoke. 

The woman's smile faltered at the mention of the young Prince, and she cast her gaze down at the ground, suddenly looking a little worried. Toby picked up on this instantly, and his grin faded, tilting his head to the side slightly. "Is everything ok?" He asked, concern covering his features. The woman tapped the tips of her fingers together in front of her chest as she thought about what to say. Or how to word it.

"The Prince is here, yes. Most likely in his quarters. But. We have been instructed by his parents to leave him alone. No one has really seen or heard from him in a few days." She finally spoke. Her voice much quieter than before.

"Why?" Toby replied instantly. Starting to feel rather scared for his brother.

"We don't know. We haven't been told. All we know is that he has requested to be left alone." She said simply. She didn't want to sound too harsh towards the dark-haired boy. She didn't want to scare him. She knew that he could be rather sensitive sometimes.

"What about me? Usually I'm an exception to that rule. Right?" He said quietly, biting at the nail on his right forefinger, looking up at the tall women, with soft chocolate coloured eyes.

"Well. I suppose. But.. Usually he says that if you come along then he will still want to see you. But we haven't received such a message." Toby thought about this for a moment. Something must be really wrong if Martyn didn't want to see him. Martyn always found time to be with him. Even if it meant making up some ridiculous excuse to get out of doing something else.

"Please. Let me find him. If he doesn't want to talk to me then I'll leave straight away. I just really want to see him. It's been a really long time." He responded slowly. Moving his hand away from his mouth and nervously fiddling with the collar of his jumper instead. The woman sighed lightly and stayed silent for a moment. Before nodding to herself and looking back down at the small boy before her.

"Ok." She said. "Ok, you can come in but.. Be gentle. We don't know what's wrong with him, if anything is wrong with him. So don't be surprised if he doesn't quite seem like his usual self." She continued plainly. Her eyes dull and sincere. Toby simply nodded, before she moved away from the door, allowing him to come inside. She closed the door behind him and watched as he walked quickly across the foyer and towards an elegant set of stairs, unwrapping his long striped scarf from around his neck as he went.

The inside of the Castle was warm. Just like it always was. Intricately designed fireplaces roared with hot flames in almost every room. The long, beautifully decorated corridors were lit by the sunlight streaming in from the high glass ceilings. With modern, yet not out of place, lanterns perched on the walls for use at night. Portraits and paintings of places and people long since passed were scattered across the walls. Toby loved looking at the architecture and furnishings of the building. It was centuries old and a strange mix of old and new. But it worked. And it was incredible. Now wasn't the time to be admiring it though.

He knew exactly where he was going. The Castle was positively enormous. It looked big on the outside. But you couldn't even begin to perceive the size of the place until you'd ventured inside the great stone walls. Toby thought it might be bigger on the inside. Martyn knew that a lot of it was underground. But all the corridors, stair cases and countless doors that led into mostly empty rooms didn't hinder the young boy. He'd taken this route so many times it was almost automatic.

Martyn's quarters were up on the third floor. The room was large and quite a way away from any others. A silver plaque was placed on the door, the Princes name engraved on it in elegant copperplate text. The family crest positioned below it.

Toby found the door in just over five minutes. Standing in front of it for a moment, he thought about what he might find inside.

He tapped on the door a few times and pushed it open slightly. Peering around the edge, he couldn't see anyone at first. The room was dark, the curtains were drawn. Something wasn't right..

"Martyn?" The boy said into the darkness, his voice rather quiet and a bit shaky. "You there?"

"Toby?" Came that fantastically familiar voice. But it sounded.. Wrong.. It was a bit deeper than usual. It was quiet and rough too, though Toby figured that was from him having not spoken much for a while. There was still no sign of the Prince though.

"Martyn! Where are you? Why're all the lights off?" Toby responded. Stepping through the door and looking around the large room. He heard something move, and he froze as a tall, thin figure appeared in front of the window on the opposite side of the room, silhouetted by the small amount of sunlight that was seeping through the curtains. As they turned their head, bright, red eyes appeared, piercing through the darkness. Toby's breath caught in his throat as he stared at the figure that he knew was his brother. "..M-Martyn..?"

"What are you doing here?" The figure spoke quickly. Their voice suddenly hinted with an aggression that Toby had never heard directed at him before. As he looked closer. He could see that the red light illuminated a grey face. A face that was usually adorned with sparkling blue eyes and a bright cheerful grin..

"I-I c-came to see if you were o-ok." Toby stuttered, his voice quiet and scared. Edging back towards the door that had drifted closed behind him. A dim spark of red light came from the tip of the figures fingers. The lanterns in the ceiling came on and the curtains flew open. Instantly flooding the room with harsh light. The sudden change from total darkness to bright sunlight hurt Toby's eyes. And he winced and covered them with his hands for a moment as they started to adjust to it.

As he looked back across the room. He could see Martyn still stood by the window, fully facing his little brother now. The red in his eyes flickered away and was replaced by their usual sky blue colour. But they were dull and tired. Not glimmering and playful like normal. Toby's brown eyes grew wide as the older boy walked quickly towards him. Jumping over a stray chair in the middle of the room as he went. Stopping a few feet from him. Leaning forwards and staring at the smaller boy with a gaunt, emotionless look on his face.

"Do I look ok?!" He almost growled, revealing white fangs that were almost unhuman.

Toby looked the teenage boy up and down. And could hardly believe that it was definitely his big brother. The Prince's long golden hair had turned a dirty mossy green colour, held back by a muddy brown headband, rather than the black one he usually wore. His eyes were blue now, but a moment ago they had been bright red.. His pale skin was now a light grey and he looked so much older. Every scar on his face stood out so much more than they usually did. His clothes were loose and slightly torn around the hems, almost hanging off of his thin frame, he looked like he hadn't eaten in days. And those fangs that now stood out so clearly against his otherwise perfect teeth.. This wasn't like his Winter changes. This was something different. Something new.. But what was it..?

"I.. M-Martyn what.. What h-happened?" Toby finally managed to speak, though he was still stuttering. His voice was very quiet and shaky and he could feel himself trembling. Martyn cocked his head to the side and an ugly grimace spread across his face.

"Look at you. All tiny and not having to worry about stupid magical abilities. How lucky you must feel." Martyn spoke quickly, his tone was strangely sharp and unpleasantly sarcastic. He stepped closer to the brunette and ruffled his hair. His grin twisting into something Toby couldn't quite figure out.

"..M-Martyn..?" Toby muttered as he moved away from the older boy, who was actually starting to scare him.. "..A-Are you ok..?"

"Ok? Oh I've never been better. Woke up about a week ago with green hair and red eyes. Have you noticed? They change from the red to blue as the light changes. Never seen anything like it before. I've met a lot of different magical people. I've travelled, Toby. Been to all sorts of places. You've barely left this damned Kingdom. But I've never met anyone whose eyes change colour with the light. I think it's pretty neat. Kinda creepy too. But neat none the less." Martyn said, a bit louder and much quicker than before, nearly laughing and sounding almost psychotic as he started moving around the room as he spoke, swinging his arms out at his sides as he spun on his heels after every few steps. Toby couldn't help but stare, wide-eyed, at how his brother was acting so out of character.

"Martyn.." Toby watched warily as his brother practically danced around the large room. Jumping over chairs and piles of books and even clambering onto his bed for a moment, before eventually settling into a massive blue beanbag that was sat up against the wall. The Prince raised an eyebrow at his brother before he spoke.

"Yeess." He said slowly, his voice suddenly hitting a higher pitch than before as he stretched out the syllables more than was necessary. Toby narrowed his eyes at the green haired teen as moved a bit closer to him.

"Why are you doing this? This isn't like you. I don't like it.." His tone was perhaps a bit firmer than he would have liked, and hinted with fear that wouldn't go away. But he wasn't stuttering anymore, so that was a plus.

"Pfft. And?" Was Martyn's only response as a slight scowl appeared on his face.

"You're my brother, I love you, Martyn, and I don't like seeing you like this. What happened?" Toby replied, suddenly sounding much calmer, but his eyes were dull and fearful. Martyn stood up and stretched his arms above his head for a moment, before looking back down at the tiny boy still stood near the door.

"You're not my brother. Not really. And even if you were, it wouldn't change the fact that you shouldn't be here." Martyn paused for a moment as he watched Toby's eyes grow wide and the colour drain from his face. The Prince's words had hit him like a shard of ice, being shot straight through his heart. And even though he knew something wasn't right with Martyn's frame of mind, it still hurt.

"I.. I thought--" He tried to speak, but he couldn't think. He suddenly felt numb and useless as he stared up at the blue eyes that were filled with an uncharacteristic hatred for the world. They weren't a warm sky blue anymore, they were cold, like snow and ice.. Or a chilly Autumn morning..

"You thought? Thought what? That you were an _exception?_ **Ha!** Maybe sometimes. But not now. I specifically asked to be left _alone_! That no one was to come looking for me. _Not even you_!" Martyn all but spat. His voice bitter and cruel. But his eyes were defying him, Toby could see tears forming and the anger had vanished. Replaced with fear. They both stayed silent for a few moments. Martyn breathing deeply as he tried to calm down. He swallowed hard before he spoke again, his voice suddenly loud and filled with desperation. "Because I don't know what I'm capable of right now and I don't want to find out by hurting someone!" A single tear escaped and slid down his cheek, he didn't seem to notice it. But Toby did. And that just made him hurt even more. Martyn never cried unless something really bad was going on. Underneath all the confusion and emotional instability, Toby could see that his big brother was genuinely terrified about what was happening to him. What had happened to him.. It was like last Winter all over again...

Neither of them spoke for what felt like hours. Though in reality it had barely been a minute before Martyn finally spoke again. His voice quiet and shaky. He seemed unable to meet Toby's gaze though, and simply stared at the green carpet as he spoke.

"..Why are you here..?.."

"Because.. Because I was worried about you, Martyn.. I hadn't seen you o-or heard from you in a while so I thought... I thought that maybe I'd come and find you myself instead of waiting.." Toby finally managed to speak. But his voice was barely above a whisper and he was still trembling slightly.

"You should go." Martyn spoke firmly. Seeming to completely ignore what Toby had said.

"No." Toby muttered in response.

"Yes. You should leave. I don't.. I don't want to do something I'll regret.." Martyn spoke simply. Still not meeting Toby's gaze.

"No." Toby repeated, much louder this time.

"Toby. Listen to me. Leave. _Now_. I don't want you here." Martyn's voice was suddenly very sharp again. For a moment he'd started to sound a bit more like the Martyn Toby knew and loved, but now that had vanished and left his more aggressive side to take its place again..

"No. I'm not going anywhere. I want to keep you company. To help you. Something's not right and we can figure it out together. Like we figured out your Winter changes last year." Toby tried to sound confident and just about managed a small smile. Though on the inside he still felt scared and cold, he did his best to hide it.

"Toby! I said leave! I don't want your help! If I did I would have called for you. But I didn't. Because-" Martyn went to continue but he was interrupted by the brunette stood opposite him.

"I'm not going anywhere, Martyn. And-"

"No no no, don't you _dare_ interrupt me! Who do you think you are?! I have asked you to leave and I expect you to listen too me! Why are you being so _stubborn_! You can't help me right now! You know _nothing_ about magic, so _how_ would you be able to help? Hm?! This is _my_ problem and _I'll_ deal with it, now _get, out!_ " Martyn nearly yelled, gradually getting louder and moving closer to Toby. Red danced in the Princes blue eyes for a split second as he stared down at the little boy, who just stared back, looking more and more frustrated with everything.

"Martyn! What is wrong with you? I've helped you with magical issues before, what's so different this time?" Toby tried to keep his voice steady but it wasn't quite working, his frustration and fear was becoming more and more noticeable and he didn't like it.

"'What's different?' _Everything_ is damn well different, that's what!! I don't trust myself right now yet alone anyone else! Now for Notch's sake Toby _get out_!!" The usually very calm teen was growing increasingly aggressive, and that combined with his peculiarly unfamiliar appearance, left Toby feeling terrified of the person he looked up too..

" _ **No!**_ " Toby cried. Martyn's eyes flared completely red.

It all happened so fast. Toby didn't have time to react, or even to see it coming.

A strong, firm hand came flying across the small boys face. Everything seemed to slow down around him. The world suddenly fell completely silent. All he could hear was his heart pounding in his ears. 

He looked through the corner of his eye, and saw a baffled and positively petrified looking Martyn, staring blankly at the boy in front of him. Visibly shaking all over and looking like he was about to collapse. His eyes were blue again. But they were dark and scared. It took Toby a moment to realise what he'd done.

"Oh Gods.." He gasped. "Oh Gods.. Toby. I-" He stopped as he went to move forwards, but the dark-eyed boy flinched away, watching warily as his fingers gently touched the side of his face that was now red and stinging.

Martyn stood awkwardly in front of Toby, one hand clutching at the thin fabric of his black shirt, the other lingering between them. His breathing was uneven and shallow. And his eyes were wide and flooded with a fear that Toby had never seen before. Had what just happened, really just happened?

"Oh Notch.." Martyn whispered to himself as he staggered backwards, nearly tripping over as his legs suddenly seemed to struggle to keep him upright. He quickly ran one hand through his green hair, the other still clutching the front of his shirt. He shook his head as if to clear it before looking back at the boy opposite him. Who was still staring, wide-eyed, shocked and confused and scared.. "I'm so so sorry.." Martyn whimpered just before his knees buckled beneath him, but he quickly caught himself before he hit the ground and scrambled back to his feet. Stumbling over to the door and moving around Toby, who hadn't followed the older boys movements and was staring blankly across the room. Martyn muttered something inaudible before quickly dashing through the door and disappearing down the corridors.


	2. The Missing Prince

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally got this chapter finished! No idea why it took so long but hey ho.  
> I'm pretty happy with it actually, though it could be better in places.  
> I still can't write all that well for children, but oh well, I tried.  
> Near the end they do start fighting monsters, which may seem like something that a child shouldn't be able to do. So lets just say that kids in Minecraftia are taught from an early age how to defend themselves, and leave it at that..  
> For anyone wondering, Zekkyou is probably about two years older than Toby, so the gap isn't massive.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy :D

Martyn ran. He didn't know where he was going. He just needed to get out before he hurt someone else. He was barely looking where he was going. He knew that he could probably navigate this part of the Castle with his eyes closed.

But if you don't see a red-coated boy walking towards you, they become incredibly difficult to avoid. And as such, he very nearly ran straight into them.

In all fairness, they hadn't really been focusing on what was in front of them either. Staring at the floor, deep in concentration. He hadn't noticed the grey Prince hurtling his way until he was knocked back by him. Stumbling and nearly falling down the stairs he'd just climbed.

"What the.." He muttered as he spun around, catching a glimpse of fearful blue eyes staring back. "Martyn?" He choked in shock as he realised who had run into him.

"Just leave me alone!!" Martyn yelled back. Disappearing around a corner and out of sight. Electric blue eyes stared at the now empty staircase for a moment before blinking rapidly. Trying to figure out what had just happened.

"Ok Zekk, do we follow him or try to figure out what happened first?" He said to himself before something clicked inside his brain. "Toby.." He breathed, suddenly flooded with dread. He turned quickly and sprinted down the way Martyn had come. He knew where he was going. He just hoped nothing bad had happened..

As Zekkyou ran down the corridor, he cast a quick spell. His eyes changing from blue to red as his magic activated. He could now see in thermal. And this came in useful more often than perhaps it should. He kept moving, looking for a very particular heat signature. 

As soon as he turned into the corridor that housed Martyn's quarters, he saw what he was looking for. The signature of a tiny boy through the stone brick walls. Sat on the floor and hunched over, completely still..

Zekkyou skidded to a stop just outside the door, which was still slightly ajar from when Martyn had fled. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment to clear his vision as his magic faded, and his eyes drifted back to their usual electric blue colour. He was far too young to be using that kind of spell, but he didn't really care.

Slowly, Zekkyou opened the door half-way and walked inside, immediately seeing who he'd come looking for. Toby was sat on his knees in the same place that he'd stood when Martyn had left. He was hunched over and had his arms wrapped around his chest, head down, staring at the floor. Zekkyou could hear him breathing heavily and muttering things to himself. What happened..?

"Toby?" Zekkyou spoke softly. Toby became alert very quickly as his head jolted up and he stopped muttering. He looked round slightly to see the black-haired boy still stood by the door. "You ok?" Toby's dark eyes narrowed and he looked down at the floor again. "Toby?"

"W-We need to f-find Martyn." The smaller boy sniffed. Stuttering and shaking as his arms fell to his sides and he looked back up at Zekkyou.

"What happened? Why was he so.. Scared? I'm not sure.. He nearly knocked me down the stairs.." Zekkyou said quickly, though his voice was still soft, rather than bouncy and cheeky like normal. He walked over to Toby and knelt beside him. Looking closer at the smaller boy. He could see wet streaks down his cheeks. His eyes were scared and tired. And one side of his face was tinted red. A smudge of purple already forming beneath his eye.

Zekkyou cocked his head to the side as he spotted this last thing. And then his eyes grew wide as everything came into place. "Did he.. Did he hit you?!" Toby flinched and quickly covered his face with his hands. But Zekkyou had already seen. "Toby.."

"H-He.. He d-didn't mean it... It.. It was an a-accident.." Toby stuttered, looking at Zekkyou through the gaps between his fingers. The older of the two sighed and rested a hand on the smaller's shoulders.

"Why though? Why did it come to that?" Zekkyou paused for a moment as Toby moved his hands away from his face, staring at the floor again, rather than looking at his friend. After realising he wasn't going to get a response, he continued. "Ok. I'm gonna ignore that his hair was green for a moment, and focus on the fact that we should probably go and find him."

"Yes. We should. But.. But me wanting to see him when he didn't want to be seen is what caused this to happen in the first place.." Toby responded quickly, sounding desperate and confused. Zekkyou thought for second. Biting at the nail on his little finger.

"Then why did they let me in?" He muttered to himself. But Toby heard and replied quickly.

"I was gonna ask you that. I nearly wasn't allowed in. So how are you here?" 

"Urr.. Can't remember what the woman said.. Um.." Zekkyou paused and fell silent for a moment, his hand dropped away from his mouth and he rolled his eyes. More to himself than anything else. "I should learn to pay more attention. Hm.. Anyway. That's not important. We do need to find Martyn before he does something silly. But how? Where will he be?" He continued. Moving so that he was sat in front of Toby. Sitting cross-legged and leaning forwards, his elbows on his knees. Toby raised an eyebrow at his friend before speaking.

"Come on Zekk, wake up. He'll be out in the forest. Where else would the forest prince be?"

"Well yeah. Duh. Martyn would live in the trees like a monkey if he could. But no. What I mean, is more where exactly will he be. Not what general area will he be in. Hmm.. To get to the forest from here he'd have to run through the city. People would definitely see him then."

"He could be anywhere, he could be twenty feet off the ground in a tree, and he wouldn't need to go to the city gates. There's a gap in between the city walls just behind the Castle. We've used it loads of times to sneak out and he might have used it to get out too." Toby replied smoothly. Suddenly seeming much calmer. Zekkyou snapped his fingers and pointed at the brunette.

"Yes. Forgot about that." He lowered his hand and tapped his chin absently for a moment. "But Martyn is ridiculously fast on his feet. And trying to keep up with him when he's in the trees is very very hard. I speak from personal experience on the latter. If we are gonna go after him we need to stop talking about it and actually do it. The longer we wait the further away he'll get. There's plenty of daylight left. So that's not an issue. It's more a case of actually finding him in his second home. Even if I can track him, it's gonna be hard.." Toby stood up and straightened his jumper before looking back at Zekkyou.

"I know a few places he uses as hiding spots. Most of them are particular trees or caverns and things that we've found. Maybe he's gone to one of them." Toby said cooly as he grabbed his scarf from the floor.

"And if he hasn't?" Zekkyou said as he stood up. Towering over the younger boy despite the relatively small age gap.

"Then we keep looking. You're good at finding things and people aren't you? And as you said. There's plenty of daylight left. And the forest's usually pretty safe this time of day." Toby was starting to sound very serious, and very grown-up for someone so young. Zekkyou hadn't really seen him like this before.

"I'm not going into the forest completely unarmed if that's what you're suggesting." He replied, crossing his arms over his chest.

"No! No no no. Of course not. That would be silly. No. It's midmorning. So any monsters that came out last night would have retreated and no more will come out whilst the sun's up. Just avoid the dark areas of forest and we'll be fine." Toby paused before smiling up at the black-haired boy in front of him. "See. I do listen to Martyn's 'rules of the forest'."

"I never questioned it." Zekkyou smiled softly. Before gesturing at the door and bouncing slightly on his feet. "Let's go." Toby simply nodded as he wrapped his scarf around his neck. The two headed out the door and towards the forest. This was certainly going to be an interesting couple of hours.

The pair managed to run across the foyer without being seen. Or. If nothing else. Without being talked too. They didn't really want to be questioned about what was going on. 

They snuck through the side door and around the edge of the huge building. Having to clamber over a few low fences in order to get to the passage behind it. Hidden behind some overgrown ivy was a hole in the thick stone work that made up the city walls. 

There were pathways, passages and stairs inside that once lead to the battlements atop the grand structure that surrounded the Kingdom. You could still access them. Though they were completely off-limits to civilians. Not that it stopped Martyn from going up there fairly regularly. But the world was at peace now, and as long as the high-ups and deities kept their end of the deal, it would stay that way. Battlements like the ones that once lined the Kingdom weren't needed anymore. Not really. Or at least, not as far as the King and Queen were concerned. And thus, they had fallen into disrepair. There were still sections up front kept in working condition. But most of it was no longer used. The tunnels inside the walls were still there though, barely lit and overgrown. Hardly touched anymore.

Squeezing through a spot where a few of the huge stone bricks had come lose was surprisingly difficult. Even for a pair of young boys who had used said hole multiple times before, it was awkward to fit through the gap. But they managed. And before long they were surrounded by plant life, the great city walls standing tall behind them.

The grass was littered with stray leaves from the surrounding trees, creating a red and yellow mosaic across the forest floor. If they hadn't have been looking for Martyn, they likely would have taken a moment to admire the Autumn beauty. But instead, they went straight to searching for their friend.

Zekkyou's eyes shifted from blue to red as he took a few steps forward. Gaze darting back and forth but not leaving the ground. Toby stayed silent and let him do his thing. Zekkyou was an excellent tracker for his age. And as his magic grew stronger, he learnt new spells and strengthened old ones that made him even better. Though the two main spells he used were his thermal-vision spell, which he'd used earlier. And a slightly more complicated trick, that helped find evidence of something or someone having passed through an area. Footprints, markings and the like that would be harder to see with the naked eye.

After a few moments of silence. Zekkyou pointed down at the ground. Toby looked at where he was pointing and waited for him to speak.

"The grass is still damp. There's footprints left from where someone, presumably Martyn, ran through here. They're faint, probably been here about ten minutes. So he can't be too far away." The black-haired boy spoke simply as he looked up at Toby.

"Great. Ok. So. Which way do we go?" Toby replied. Zekkyou didn't speak. He merely gestured for the smaller boy to follow as he headed off into the forest, his eyes still faintly glowing red, Toby followed swiftly behind, careful not to lose sight of Zekkyou.

They weren't walking for long before the trail vanished. And there was no sign of past movement on the ground. Toby looked up at the trees. Hoping to see a familiar figure perched in the branches. Zekkyou's eyes remained fixated on the ground though. Trying to figure out where to go next.

Then he spotted something. Newly broken bark, on the trunk of a tree near where the footprints stopped, and a tiny piece of black fabric, torn and caught on the tree trunk. "Toby, he's in the trees.." Zekkyou said quickly, grabbing the smaller boys attention back.

"Obviously. This is Martyn we're talking about here." Toby shrugged as he looked at Zekkyou. "Which way did he go?"

"I'm not sure." Zekkyou replied, his voice suddenly rather distant as he looked up at the canopy above them. Looking for some sign of the Princes presence. After a moment, he muttered. "Disturbed branches, broken bark, torn leaves.. A tiny bit of blood? Hm.. He's in a hurry that's for sure.." He paused for a moment before continuing, speaking louder as he looked at Toby. "I'm gonna take a guess and say he went that way though." As he spoke he pointed roughly East of their current location. Toby nodded, and they headed off again. Zekkyou in front as he followed the alarmingly visible trail Martyn had left behind. 

They walked for a while. Not really finding anything new. Merely following the trail. And hoping they could find who they were looking for. 

After about twenty minutes they started to hear unpleasant noises coming from the undergrowth. Growls and hisses of wild animals and, possibly, stray monsters. They may have been young, but they could defend themselves. Still. Encountering hostile creatures in the forest wasn't desirable in the slightest..

Unfortunately though, you rarely have a choice in the matter. And after five minutes of the noises getting louder. A stray arrow whizzed past Zekkyou's head. Making him freeze for a moment as he realised what it was. They both spun around to see a skeleton archer staring blankly at them from underneath a nearby tree. Bow clutched in its bony hand. 

Electricity crackled at Zekkyou's fingertips, the red in his eyes brightened as his magic grew stronger. He stared at the creature. Waiting for it to make a move. Slowly, it reached its hand back to its quiver to take another arrow. But before it had a chance to so much as find the feathers at the end of the projectile, Zekkyou had switched into attack mode. He'd vanished from Toby's side and moved at lightning speed towards the beast. Within seconds the boys dagger had been thrust through the skeletons chest, it's brittle bones cracked and split as the boy slash at it a few more times. As Zekkyou jumped back, the creature limply fell to its knees before collapsing completely onto the floor. After a few seconds it disappeared in a puff of purple smoke. Leaving nothing but a few stray bones and an arrow on the grass.

If he hadn't seen him do similar things countless times before, Toby would have been surprised at the older boys ability and willingness to kill, even if it was just a skeleton. But he wasn't. Not at all. He'd known Zekkyou long enough to know that the black-haired boys young age wasn't important. He was living proof that you had to grow-up fast to survive in this world. And learning to fight and kill the hostile creatures that lurked in the shadows was a necessity. For anyone who wished to venture outside the relative safety of their home.

Zekkyou strolled back to Toby as if nothing had happened. His eyes were pure electric blue again and any signs of the red that lingered with his magic had vanished. He looked quite calm considering what he'd just done. 

They remained silent for a few minutes, neither of them seeming to have anything to say. But Toby kept smiling at his friend.

"We should keep moving." Zekkyou finally spoke, his eyes shifting back to red as his spells were reactivated.Toby nodded. And they headed off once again. More cautious of the world around them than before.

They weren't walking for long before the feral noises began growing louder again. And after a few more minutes they found a large clearing, with a huge oak tree standing tall in the middle. There were monsters of all kinds, zombies, skeletons, spiders, hostile wolves, even an enderman and a creeper, huddled in the shade of the tree, looking up at something, or someone, hiding in its branches. Zekkyou and Toby remained silent as they watched from the edge of the clearing, trying to figure out what was going on.

They remained undetected for a time. But it didn't last as long as they would've liked. And not long after they'd arrived, two of the creatures, zombies, one with an iron helmet on it's head, the other clutching a stone shovel, separated from the group and started heading towards the pair.

Zekkyou didn't hesitate to attack. Drawing his blade quickly and heading towards the first of the monsters. Toby wasn't quite so fast, but managed to distract the other one long enough for Zekkyou to kill the first, it was less than a minute before both were dead.

But this grabbed the attention of the remaining monsters. And there were a lot more than two. At least fifteen creatures of various shapes and sizes all turned towards the two boys. A variety of aggressive growls and bared fangs followed before they began to attack.

The first two to approach were simple enough. A pair of wolves, big and strong with sharp teeth and claws but not all that hard to kill. Zekkyou killed one of them by slashing its throat when it pounced. Toby dodged the wild dogs attack and swiftly drove his dagger through the back of its neck. After that. Things went very bad. Very quickly.

All of the remaining monsters seemed to get too close at exactly the same time. Zekkyou managed to take down two more zombies before getting flung backwards by another. He landed on his back a few metres away and it took a moment for his head to stop spinning.

Toby wasn't faring any better. He wasn't _bad_ at fighting, no, not really, considering his age and his size he was actually quite _good_ , not as good as Zekkyou, but still pretty decent. But that was in controlled circumstances, where there wasn't any real threat. This was different. This was a very dangerous situation for two young boys to be in. And Toby knew that even with Zekkyou's ability they couldn't kill everything here..

Zekkyou staggered to his feet and the first thing he saw was Toby being surrounded by one group of monsters as the other closed in around himself. 

Electricity sparked at his fingers as he stood up straight. What was essentially a ball of lightning formed in his left hand whilst he held his steel dagger in his right. Throwing his left hand out in front of him, a bolt of electricity shot from his palm and hit one of the zombies square in the chest. It convulsed slightly before falling to the ground, the electricity leapt to a nearby hostile wolf, and killed that too, before fading away.

Zekkyou quickly dashed through the gap he'd created, hopping over the dead bodies before they vanished, as he headed towards his friend. He jumped onto the back of one of the zombies that was surrounding the smaller boy, swinging his arm around its shoulders and slashing at its throat and chest, it quickly fell and Zekkyou bounced off of it and stood beside Toby, who was clutching his dagger so tightly that his knuckles were turning white.

Once the electricity had vanished, Zekkyou placed his free hand on Toby's shoulder, which seemed to make him relax a little, though he was still very tense, and rightfully so, they were positively surrounded.

"I should have just stayed at home.." Zekkyou heard Toby mutter as the monsters grew ever closer, snarling, growling, hissing. How were they going to get out of this one?


	3. Unneeded Apologies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally got around to finishing this. Took a little while, but I got there eventually.  
> It's quite a bit shorter than the other two chapters, but oh well. I'm happy with it. :)

They were surrounded.. Completely and utterly surrounded.. Monsters coming at them from all sides.. They couldn't fight them.. Targeting one would leave them open to attack from another... They ended up standing back to back. Watching, terrified as the beasts closed in around them. Zekkyou felt Toby grab ahold of his hand, and the older boy held it tight, they both thought they were doomed..

A flash of silver in the trees. The sound of a bowstring being released. A flurry of arrows, fired one after the other, shot from above. Each one hitting its target and killing it instantly. The monsters surrounding the two boys fell quickly, one by one, each shot landing within seconds of the last. They only knew one archer who could pull off such a stunt.

Toby looked up into the trees and saw exactly who they were looking for. Perched on a branch with his bow in his hand. "Martyn!" Toby called. But the Prince quickly stood, slung his bow across his shoulder, and climbed higher into the canopy. "Martyn wait!"

Zekkyou looked up into the trees and watched as Martyn vanished into the branches. Quickly sheathing his dagger, he dashed forwards to the base of the tree Martyn had climbed. The gigantic oak branches spread out across the clearing, and likely went up much higher than the other trees. But that didn't deter Zekkyou in the slightest, he needed to talk some sense into his friend. And so he quickly started to scamper up the trunk after the Prince, his thick-soled boots gripping well against the bark. Toby watched from the ground. Knowing that he couldn't follow, but hoping that Zekkyou would be able to catch up to Martyn before they lost him again.

Zekkyou climbed from branch to branch as fast as he could. His magic stores were running low, but he had just enough left to cast quick tracking spells which helped stop him from losing Martyn. 

But the prince was fast. And he was leaping between branches with ease. Zekkyou soon realised that chasing him was pointless, so he slowed down, watching and listening carefully from where he was stood, being careful not to lose Martyn. Everything was very quiet, the only sounds were the rustling of leaves above him and his own steady breathing.

After about a minute. Martyn stopped moving. Likely thinking that he wasn't being followed anymore. But Zekkyou was still watching from below. And as soon as the prince stopped, the dark haired-boy carefully started climbing again. Slower this time.

It wasn't long before he found Martyn. The blue-eyed teen was sat on a thick branch, legs dangling off the edge, leaning forward, elbows on his knees, head in his hands. Bow and quiver on his back. Visibly shaking and almost in tears. 

Zekkyou pulled himself up onto the branch Martyn was perched on, swinging one leg over and straddling it, facing the prince. "Hey, Martyn." He said softly. Martyn moved his hands slightly and looked at Zekkyou for a moment, his eyes dark and scared, before looking away again. "Martyn?" Zekkyou tried again. But still no response. 

They both stayed silent for a while. Zekkyou tried to think of something else that he could say. But he wasn't really sure what would work.

"Martyn. You do know that we don't care what you look like right. You're our best friend, it doesn't matter." Zekkyou smiled at his friend, he knew that the reason Martyn had run wasn't because of how he looked, but he wasn't sure what else to say at the moment. "Toby isn't upset or angry with you, if that's what you're worried about." He added, still waiting for a reply.

"But I-- I hit him Zekkyou, I laid m-my hands on him, it's n-not my place to do that.." Martyn said shakily, his voice cracking as he stuttered, clearly struggling to get his words out.

Zekkyou leaned forward on the branch, smiling softly. "Yeah, but he doesn't care. He just wants you to be ok. And so do I. And right now you really don't look or sound ok." He said a little quicker than perhaps he'd like too. Martyn stayed silent as he moved his hands away from his face, turning his head slightly to look at Zekkyou.

"I-I don't want to hurt anybody else, I d-don't know what I m-might do whilst I'm like this, I h-hurt my little brother when he was trying to help me. I hit him, w-why doesn't he hate me for that..?" Martyn spoke quickly, stuttering as he fought back tears.

"I'm gonna hit you in a minute if you don't stop whining." Zekkyou said firmly, Martyn looked at him quizzically for a moment before he continued, his voice a lot calmer again. "Look, how about you come down from here, and talk to him. He's down there waiting for us. He wants to see you and to know you're ok. He's scared for you Martyn. And, ya know, you did kinda save us from those monsters." Martyn looked away from Zekkyou as he thought, he did want to go and see Toby, but he didn't want to risk hurting him again, even if it was an accident..

"I just.. I don't know what to do Zekk.. What if these transformations are an annual thing.. I.. I don't know if I can go through this every year.." Martyn spoke slowly, his voice cracking. His eyes bright but scared and wet with unwanted tears. Zekkyou stayed silent for a moment, not sure on how to respond. 

"We'll help you. Just like we did last winter. You've helped me with my magic. And you're Toby's best friend and the closest thing he has to a brother. We're always gonna be here for you." Zekkyou smiled softly at his friend. Not sure on what else to say, he stayed silent, watching Martyn carefully.

The Prince didn't say anything at first. He merely stared out at the canopy in front of him. Zekkyou could tell that he was thinking, but thinking about what? 

"Maarrtyyn!!" Came a high-pitched cry from beneath them. Sounding worried and dragging each syllable out. "Pleease come doown!" Martyn's eyes widened at his little brothers cries, it wasn't as if he didn't know Toby was there, but yet hearing him call out to him like that still took him by surprise. His blue eyes closed tight for a moment as a single tear escaped them, rolling down his cheek. 

As soon as he reopened his eyes, he began to clamber quickly back down the tree, not saying a word as he did so. Agile hops and jumps through the branches allowed him to reach the bottom of the canopy in seconds. He crouched on the lowest branch that would hold him, which hung about ten feet off the ground, and looked down at the little boy stood in the grass below. Blood splattered up the sleeve of his jumper and speckled across his round, pale face from their earlier encounter with hostile monsters. But yet he still looked so innocent and scared. Chocolate eyes wide and filled with concern for his brother, as he looked up at the teen perched in the tree. 

Martyn climbed a little way down the tree trunk before jumping the last five or so feet into the grass, landing perfectly a few metres in front of Toby. He stood up straight for a moment before stumbling forward and falling to his knees in front of the brunette boy. Zekkyou appeared on the lowest branches, having followed behind at a less hasty speed. He watched from his spot in the tree, not making a sound. 

Martyn sat hunched over on his knees, staring at the floor, visibly shaking and clearly quite scared. 

"I-I'm so s-sorry.." He stuttered, Toby tilted his head to the side slightly but didn't get a chance to speak. Martyn looked up at his brother, his grey cheeks now streaked with tears that he'd given up trying to hold back. "I-I'm so, so, so sorry. I-I c-can't believe I-I did that, I-I don't--I didn't mean to. I just--" He paused for a moment as he took a few deep breaths. "Toby. I l-love you so much I couldn't bear to lose you, I never wanted to hurt you I just--" Martyn stopped as Toby jumped forward and wrapped his arms around his big brothers shoulders. Martyn sat frozen for a moment, before pulling Toby into a proper hug, holding the boy tight as the brunette leant against him.

Zekkyou watched quietly from above. Tempted to ruin the moment but managing to restrain himself.

"It's ok Martyn." Toby said quietly, his voice slightly muffled. "I'm not angry."

"B-but I-" Martyn started.

"Doesn't matter." Toby interrupted. "I'm not angry." He repeated as he moved back, arms still looped around Martyn's neck, a soft, warm smile on his freckled face. A genuine, happy smile pulled at Martyn's lips as he met his little brothers gaze. Shining blue eyes meeting chocolate browns, just as it should be.

Zekkyou jumped down from his perch in the tree, landing softly on his feet and running up to Martyn and Toby, joining in on the hug with a gleeful yell.

"Group hug!!"

Martyn and Toby were almost knocked off-balance as the black-haired boy leapt at them. Wrapping his arms around their shoulders, a goofy grin on his face. Martyn pulled the two younger boys close, unable to wipe the now somewhat silly smile from his face. The trio sat like that for a while, just happy to be back together again.

"So, what's with the new look then, Martyn?" Zekkyou asked as they separated, sitting back in the damp grass.

"I'm guessing that it's my magic freaking out 'cos of the weather." Martyn shrugged. "Like how I went all blue and cold last winter. Except it's not ice magic now. I'm not sure what it is. It feels more open than an element."

"Can't you tell what it is, Zekk?" Toby asked, looking at the other magical person sat in front of him.

Zekkyou shook his head. "'fraid not. I can barely tell my own essences apart yet alone anyone else's. Sorry, Martyn."

"Doesn't matter. I'll figure it out." Martyn smiled before standing up. "Anyway, we should probably head back. Or people are gonna start wondering where we are."

"Yeah, we did all leave in a bit of a hurry." Zekkyou smiled as he stood up. Toby hopped to his feet as well, looking up at his friends with a grin.

They all headed back to the Kingdom, side by side. Chatting as they went. Toby grabbed ahold of Martyn's hand and held it tight, simply happy to have his big brother back again.

**Author's Note:**

> If Martyn sounds horrifically unstable in this, then good, that means it's working. He's supposed to be a bit out of character (or very out of character as the case may be..) for the time being. Since his Autumn form really screws with his emotions.  
> At some point I will write a story about what happened 'last winter'. Which should probably be what I wrote first. But I'm not sorted with all the details yet. But that will pop up at some point though. Long story short, it's when Martyn's Winter Form is first activated and his very first transformation takes place. So yeah. That's fun.  
> Next chapter should be out pretty soon. And we'll find out where Martyn's gone :)


End file.
